The effects of 3D culture on the expansion and maintenance of nucleus pulposus progenitor cell multipotency

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain (LBP) is a global health concern. Increasing evidence implicates intervertebral disk (IVD) degeneration as a major contributor. In this respect, tissue‐specific progenitors may play a crucial role in tissue regeneration, as these cells are perfectly adapted to their niche. Recently, a novel progenitor cell population was described in the nucleus pulposus (NP) that is positive for Tie2 marker. These cells have self‐renewal capacity and in vitro multipotency potential. However, extremely low numbers of the NP progenitors limit the feasibility of cell therapy strategies. OBJECTIVE: Here, we studied the influence of the culture method and of the microenvironment on the proliferation rate and the differentiation potential of human NP progenitors in vitro. METHOD: Cells were obtained from human NP tissue from trauma patients. Briefly, the NP tissue cells were cultured in two‐dimensional (2D) (monolayer) or three‐dimensional (3D) (alginate beads) conditions. After 1 week, cells from 2D or 3D culture were expanded on fibronectin‐coated flasks. Subsequently, expanded NP cells were then characterized by cytometry and tri‐lineage differentiation, which was analyzed by qPCR and histology. Moreover, experiments using Tie2(+) and Tie2(−) NP cells were also performed. RESULTS: The present study aims to demonstrate that 3D expansion of NP cells better preserves the Tie2(+) cell populations and increases the chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential compared to 2D expansion. Moreover, the cell sorting experiments reveal that only Tie2(+) cells were able to maintain the pluripotent gene expression if cultured in 3D within alginate beads. Therefore, our results highly suggest that the maintenance of the cell's multipotency is mainly, but not exclusively, due to the higher presence of Tie2(+) cells due to 3D culture. CONCLUSION: This project not only might have a scientific impact by evaluating the influence of a two‐step expansion protocol on the functionality of NP progenitors, but it could also lead to an innovative clinical approach.